


A Game of Hearts

by joufancyhuh



Series: Bad Puns & Finger Guns [4]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sassandra, MEBB 2017, Poison, voeld
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 04:14:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12124287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joufancyhuh/pseuds/joufancyhuh
Summary: When an auction for the Charlatan's identity sends Reyes and Ryder to icy Voeld, the two find themselves fighting for their relationship...and their lives.





	1. Wild Card

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in a week around finals. 
> 
> This was my first MEBB, and I overshot by thinking I'd finish Cerberus Healthcare by the deadline, not accounting the emotional toll it took on me to get as far as I did. This idea floated on my idea doc and I knew it was the only thing I had on hand that could reach the word limit. 
> 
> Special thanks to [this post on tumblr](http://joufancyhuh.tumblr.com/post/159660820812/would-you-ever-consider-writing-a-multi-chapter) for inspiring me to plan a long fic.  
> Thanks to [Commander_Hot_Pants](http://archiveofourown.org/users/commander_hot_pants) for helping me flesh out and plan this story.  
> Thanks to my betas [MizDirected](http://archiveofourown.org/users/mizdirected) and [YourLocalPriestess](http://archiveofourown.org/users/yourlocalpriestess) for being fantastic and helping me with this.
> 
> And finally, thank you to my wonderful artist, [MaxxieDemon](http://maxxiedemon.tumblr.com/) for the beautiful work that you do. Thank you for picking my story, for sticking this out with me. I'm deeply honored and really enjoyed working with you. The artwork can be found [here!](http://maxxiedemon.tumblr.com/post/165482298618/woot-annnnd-this-is-the-last-mebb-piece-the)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Who are you?”_

 

A radio transmitter buzzes during the early hours of the morning, the distinct sound of Sloane Kelly’s steel voice cutting through the quiet of dawn. An auburn-haired woman rubs the sleep from her saffron eyes as she eavesdrops from her cot in her hallway-sized apartment in the slums.

“I told ‘em to get out of my sight.” Sloane seems annoyed, typical for the Kadaran queen. The woman’s heart aches to hear it, the voice familiar but so distant now. The woman sighs and rolls onto her side to stare at the location of the noise, the transmitter resting on her dresser.

“What happened?”

This voice sounds like the Pathfinder; Ryder, if she remembers.

The woman met her once, but the Pathfinder failed to impress.The ruckus around the tiny girl confuses her. Why did so many people regard Ryder as a hero? Sloane; now, Sloane deserved their praise. She brought them so far in just a year, building Kadara up to its current status. Protection money paled in comparison when given the alternative of the Wastes.

“The Charlatan used my own people to beat up Kaetus.” Sloane’s voice wavers at the mention of the turian’s name. The woman balls her hands into fists, an involuntary response invoked by the hurt tone. As much as she hates Kaetus, she would kill his attackers in an instant for Sloane, prove her loyalty and devotion, only because he means so much to her. How _dare_ they attack him.

“He’s alive. Barely.”

“The Charlatan’s using Kaetus to put you on edge.” So the Pathfinder isn’t as dumb as she initially thought. The woman gives her credit for figuring out the connection between Sloane and Kaetus so quickly, and without resorting to bugging Sloane’s throne room.

“I know that.” The woman’s brow wrinkles in response to Sloane’s hefty sigh. Sloane’s pain cascades throughout her nervous system, nausea rising like bile in the back of her throat as her heart quickens in her chest. She promises to strike down the Collective, obliterate every last one of them for causing that response in her goddess.

The metal in Sloane’s voice pulls her attention back to the throne room. “I didn’t call you here for a pity party.”

“Why did you call me? Not that I’m complaining…”

The woman awaits the answer to this question as well. Why the Pathfinder? Why not herself? Is she not Sloane’s most loyal servant?

“The Charlatan left a note on Kaetus’ body. He wants to settle things between us. Meeting spot is in Draullir.”

The Pathfinder hesitates. “Could be a trap.” The woman agrees, this seeming too convenient.

“You think? I can’t trust my own people, but you-” Sloane scoffs. “You’re an outsider. And you’ve proven reasonable before …” The woman thinks back on what her queen refers to, deciding on the mission where the Pathfinder helped clear out the kett. Another wasted opportunity for Sloane to reach out for help to the woman.

“The Charlatan’s had plenty of time to act. Why make a move now?”

“I ignored the Collective for too long. Thought they were just another rag-tag group of upstarts. Now they’re bold. And dangerous. What happened to Kaetus is on me. I could end this before it gets worse. You with me?”

“I’ll watch your back.”

The Pathfinder sounds almost sincere.

* * *

Sloane Kelly’s death rings out like the clap of a starting gun.

The deck shuffles with a new suit of cards spreading out across the port; the dealer hustles in the take over, casting the Outlaws into the Wastes to be hunted like animals. The woman watches the chaos unfold from the shadows, knowing that soon she will need to join them. The Pathfinder knows where her loyalty lies; the woman’s never kept her support of Sloane a secret.

The Pathfinder. Stop her if she’s heard this joke before. Three people go into a cave, two come out, or maybe only two ever went in. The math doesn’t add up, and she knows she can’t be the only one who thinks so.

Maybe it wasn’t the Charlatan in that cave, but a power-hungry Pathfinder. Or perhaps she played Sloane all along, just to go with her in order to help the Charlatan dispose of her throne. If the woman spots the Pathfinder out in the Wastes, she swears over Sloane’s cold, dead, beautiful body that the Pathfinder gets a bullet right between her stupid eyes.

The woman packs up what she can, her transmitter included. It can come in handy with the regime change. If Sloane couldn’t spot it, then the chances of the Collective doing so are slim. The static crackles again as she picks it up, the angaran Queen of Clubs breaking through.

“Pathfinder. It’s good to see you again.”

The traitorous bitch responds, not even an inkling of regret in her voice over what she did to Sloane. “You’ve done well for yourself.” _A joke_ . She makes a fucking _joke_ . Sloane dies and these two laugh and make fucking _jokes_.

“What’s the human expression? About having friends in high places? The Charlatan and I agreed that it would be mutually beneficial if I was the face of Kadara port.” So the angaran is a puppet whose strings dance from the shadows. Would the Pathfinder be another puppet or the puppeteer?

“I take it you know the Charlatan’s true identity.” The woman’s heart picks up in her chest, a loud thrum in her ears. Is what she thinks really going to happen then and there? She sucks in a breath, holding it in anticipation for the next words.

“I’m one of the select few. I told him to tell you earlier, but he worried about what you’d think. It was adorable, really.”   

The woman’s ears burn. Why would the Charlatan care about what the Pathfinder might think of him? If it involved business, surely that wouldn't… but why… The cogs in her head spin, thoughts flying at her from every direction. Most of them resound with one notion: The Charlatan _cares_ about the Pathfinder, _cares_ about what she thinks about _him_.

Of course. The Charlatan and the Pathfinder sleep together. They _like_ each other. That’s why the Pathfinder didn’t side with Sloane. The deck stacked against Sloane before she even set a foot in Draullir.

But the woman spots a mistake when one’s been made. It means a weakness to exploit, an upper hand for the Outlaws in the search of the identity of their dear Jack of Clubs. They should never have crossed Sloane, and the woman swears that she will make them pay, make them both pay.

* * *

Thirty sets of eyes stare back at her as the woman jumps up onto a rock in front of the crowd she gathered underground. She waves her hands as the speech she rehearsed comes to her lips. “We are all that’s left of Sloane. And we demand payback!” There are murmurs of “hear, hear” and “damn right” rippling through the crowd. “We need a leader to guide us, to get our vengeance!”

“Who elected you, crazy?” A man pushes forward as some of the others snicker, some low level member of the Outlaws whose name she never bothered to remember. “I say someone else gets us there.”

The information sitting on her hard drive from the throne room says it must be her, but she knows how to play this game. She won’t show her hand so easily, not to this buffoon. Trust will be earned, not given, not after what happened to Sloane. “Someone more like you?” She sneers, hiding the slow reach for the pistol in her holster.

The man puffs his chest out. “Well, since you put it out there-”

Before he can say yes, she draws and fires a round into his brain, straight through an eye. Blood bursts out of the front and back of his head, a few shrieks from some of the members close by as it splashes onto them.

“Any other objections?”  She twirls the gun in her hand, waiting for someone else bold enough to protest her recent appointment. No one moves, and she keeps her smile sinister as she locks her gun back at her side. “Now, like I was saying, we need to regroup and come up with a plan to take back Kadara. But we can’t do it here. We need to fall back, give the appearance that we’re giving up.”

Murmurs broke out among the crowd. Hesitant, a young woman steps forward. “Fall back to where? Between the Collective and the Pathfinder, no place is safe on Kadara.”

“Then we move to another planet. But we need someone here to keep an eye on things, recruit where you can.” Someone in the back raises their hand. She points to them. “Go ahead.”

“Who are you?”

The woman bares her teeth in an effort to smile as she swings her light braids back over her shoulder. “I’m the one who’s going to take down the Charlatan.” Slow cheering breaks out. It’ll take time, but they’ll get used to her. If only Sloane could see her now, filling in the empty void that she left behind. Her idol may be dead, but her enemies wouldn’t be far behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who do you think the mystery woman is?


	2. Two of Clubs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“For Sloane.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Megara belongs to [YourLocalPriestess](http://archiveofourown.org/users/YourLocalPriestess/pseuds/YourLocalPriestess)

Megara kept her eyes glued to the upper floor of Tartarus as she twisted her body and gyrated her hips from inside the cage. Day fourteen of working there, and still no sign of the Pathfinder. Intel said she could be found here, in the private room up top, having secret meetings with a third-rate smuggler. She stopped here first any time her ship hit the port, so Megara’s orders were to watch and see and gather intel if she could.

It seemed odd to McAfee, Megara’s contact for this mission, that she would have dealings with a smuggler when she had one of her own on board her ship. Vetra Nyx was one of the more capable smugglers in Heleus, so it stood within reason that the Pathfinder would go to her for whatever she needed. But one look at the docking logs said the Pathfinder spent a large amount of her time on Kadara, and the Outlaws were willing to bet it wasn’t just for the views.

A short, pink-haired woman weaved herself through the dance floor, the crowd parting to give her space as she made her way through. Boss said something about her height when the description was given. Sure enough, an Initiative patch was sutured to the upper arm of her armor. Megara surveyed the woman as she slipped into the private room. Boss tried getting bugs in there at one point, but they were discovered too quickly. Reyes Vidal liked a great deal more privacy than the average smuggler.

Megara’s stare darted back to the room while she danced, and on her next break, she decided to lounge out on a couch close by. The Pathfinder disappeared for 45 minutes by then, which was suspicious at best. Megara met Reyes Vidal a couple of times, when Kain asked her to take drinks up to him. He was handsome, sure, and a bit of a flirt, but otherwise unimpressive. If they actually _were_ together, what did the Pathfinder see in him?

The Pathfinder had a reputation of being kind, honest, and smart. None of those traits could be said about the Charlatan, who might be Reyes. In fact, shooting Sloane Kelly in the back and leaving her for dead was the first time the Pathfinder acted in such a manner. Maybe the Charlatan was already influencing the darker side of her, or maybe the Pathfinder was less involved than the big boss had them believe.

A rough-looking asari headed toward the door of the private room, not waiting to knock before entering. Shouts rang from inside as the door swished back open, and the asari, looking very embarrassed, power-walked away, back out into the slums. This was an interesting development. Megara’s intrigue increased as she stared at the door with keen interest.

Maybe ten minutes after the asari left, a disheveled Pathfinder stormed out, holding what looked to be a bra and the joints of her armor in her arms as she headed toward the door to outside. Reyes Vidal, usually collected and calm, chased out after her, grabbing her arm to spin her around. She couldn’t hear their argument over the music.

The Pathfinder looked mortified, red flushed all over her face. Megara chuckled to herself as she pieced together what happened. Reyes wasn’t exactly wearing all of his clothes either, his jacket and a belt missing from his usual attire.  She waved her arms wildly in the air as best she could without dropping the rest of her clothes. Reyes, for his part, did actually look sorry, but he snapped back at her. Megara wanted to move closer; she was dying to know what was being said, but it would risk exposure.

Reyes leaned in and kissed her cheek, aiming for her lips but she turned her head at the last minute to avoid it. She shoved him off, shaking her head and yelling something else before stomping through the door. Reyes stood there, looking wistfully after her. It appeared he actually cared about her. After a few minutes of him standing statuesque, he glanced around the bar. When he spotted Megara, he sauntered over. “Meg, right?”

“Yes,” she nodded, sipping on her martini.

“When you go back on the clock, whiskey, brought up to my room. Kain knows how I prefer it.”

She nodded again to let him know she heard him. That seemed good enough for him, and he sulked back into his room, the door clicking shut behind him. She would get him his whiskey. The Outlaws held the Ace now, and with the Charlatan identity confirmed, it was time to bring out the trump cards. Boss would be so excited to hear the news.

“For Sloane,” she whispered as she polished off the last of her drink.


	3. Queen of Spades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“You’re the only one I can trust on this.”_

“Why would I help you? Figure it out for yourself, Vidal.”

Reyes’ orange frame flickered in the vidcom, arms crossed over his chest with his hip jutted out to the side. “Come on, Ryder,” he purred, a cross of seduction and pleading in his voice. 

“Come on yourself!” Elspeth slammed her hands down on the table in front of her. “We’re still fighting, last time I checked. That means you don’t get to ask for favors.

He chuckled. “You’re so cute when you’re angry.”

Heat flamed across her cheeks, from anger or embarrassment, she wasn’t sure which.  “I’m being serious!” 

“And so am I. I need your help.” He tried his best to give her a sweet smile across the holo. “You’re the only one I can trust on this.”

She groaned. He really knew how to manipulate her, what words she couldn’t resist once they left his mouth. She crossed her arms and leaned on her back leg, mimicking his stance. She hated giving in when he got like this, but she couldn’t see any way around it. “Fine. But you owe me.”

“Anything.” He winked, a small skip in her heartbeat echoing in her chest. 

“You already know what I want.” She smirked, waiting for his reaction. 

He winced. “Anything but that.”

“Then find someone else.” She reached to shut off the comm, but he held his hands up. 

“Okay, okay. No promises, but I’ll think about it.”

“You’ve  _ been  _ thinking about it. I want an answer, Reyes.” 

“And you’ll get one,  _ mi alma _ . But right now, we have more pressing matters to attend to. Can I count on your help?”

She rolled her eyes, trying to hide her smile. “Don’t think I won’t be bugging you about it the entire trip.”

He grinned. “I wouldn’t expect any different. See you soon.” The vidcom shut off, leaving Elspeth to hang her head as she gripped the edges of the table. So much for her resolve. The one time she held the upper hand, and he still managed for her to give it away for a  _ maybe.  _ She would have to make up an excuse as to why none of her squadmates could come with her to Kadara. Shore leave couldn’t be used since they just had some last month.

Which she spent holed up in a motel because  _ someone  _ didn’t trust her enough to actually take her to his home. Maybe his problem was just a rouse to see her again, to find out how serious she’d been about seeing where he lived. She was, in fact, very serious; he just happened to know exactly what buttons to push in order to get her to help. 

That’s what she got for being nice. He had to know she wasn’t going to just let this go. First it was Tartarus, with the lumpy couches and concrete floors and a door he always seemed to forget to  _ lock _ . Then it was the motels, nice but impersonal. It made her feel cheap, like she really was just the consort of Kadara, as Vetra so lovingly put it. Was it really so much to ask for more? 

_ Hacked _ . He told her he was hacked, but yet he remained more encrypted than ever. He headed off all her questions with sex or just ignoring them outright. She was going to get through his defenses this time. No more getting sidetracked. If he didn’t relent by the time she finished helping him with whatever he needed, she’d go back to the Tempest and stay away from Kadara until he gave in, her original plan. 

“SAM, tell Suvi and Kallo to plot a course to Kadara.” 

“Yes, Ryder.” 

She straightened her back and marched down the stairs, ignoring the curious looks from Cora and Lexi, who eavesdropped. She should complain to Kallo about how open the vidcom was on the ship, maybe see if Gil could screen it in to give her some sense of privacy. It was ridiculous, how nosy everyone got on the ship about her and Reyes. With the amount of missions she sent them on, she would imagine that everyone was too tired to gossip. At this point, she remained surprised that news of anything involving her and Reyes didn’t end up on the Crew bulletin board. It would only be a matter of time, she was sure. 

PJ mewled from his perch on a crate as she passed him. She stopped to rub behind his ears. “He ate my socks,” Vetra said as she walked up behind her. “You reimburse for that, right?”

She shifted her attention to the turian while leaving a hand petting the pyjak’s head. “Just put it in the expense report,” she sighed. “He acts like we don’t feed him enough even though I  _ know  _ Liam sneaks him extra snacks when I’m not looking.”

“Drack, too.” Vetra smiled, but it wavered as she glanced down to her omnitool. “Can we talk somewhere privately?”

Elspeth let her hand fall back to her side, PJ rubbing his head against her arm to try and bring the petting back. She ignored him. “Sure, everything okay?”

“I’m not sure.” 

Elspeth led the way to her cabin, turning to her once the door shut behind them. “What’s going on?”

“One of my smuggler contacts sent this my way.” She sent over an image to her omnitool. 

Elspeth pulled it up, a gasp passing her lips. She looked up to Vetra, then back down. “Is this real?”

“Just sent out this morning. We’re working to figure out from where.” 

“I think Reyes knows.” Her eyes re-skimmed the email. Words like  _ Charlatan _ ,  _ true _ , and  _ identity  _ jumped out at her as she read. There was to be an auction for proof of the Charlatan’s identity in the next week, sold to the highest bidder on the darknet. Reyes was so careful though, could this even be a real threat? How could he leave proof of his identity behind somewhere that someone could get to and use against him? The auction was to be held on Voeld, a hundred-thousand credit buy-in for anyone interested in the information “What do you make of this?”

“Do I think it’s real or not? Definitely real. You don’t have a buy-in that large and not have something to show for it.”

“Damn it,” Elspeth glanced up at Vetra over her omnitool. “Can you keep this quiet? We’re headed to Kadara now, but Reyes didn’t want any of the crew to come along.”

Vetra held up a hand. “Say no more. I’ll pretend we never spoke on this.” She started to walk out the door, but hesitated. “Ryder.”

“Yes?”

“Be careful out there. This could be a trap.”

That thought hadn’t crossed her mind. What circled her head since she read the email was if his identity revealed itself, who would buy it? If it came to the worst case scenario, she could use Initiative funds and buy the identity for herself, to keep it safe. Something like this was a necessary expense. 

A trap was worse than the auction. It meant that Reyes would be walking right into it. Perhaps she should call him back, tell him she was going alone to fix this leak. But he asked that she accompanied him, not that she solved the issue for him. She respected his privacy and his wish for this to be handled himself. Whoever put this together probably wouldn’t expect the Pathfinder along, so she held the element of surprise on her side. And if she was honest with herself, she missed Reyes and was at least a little excited to see him again, even if they were in the middle of a fight. 

Vetra stood by the door, waiting for an answer. Elspeth forced a smile. “We’ll do our best.”

Vetra’s mandibles flicked out as she continued to stare. “That’s not reassuring.” 

“I’ll let you know if we need backup. There, better?”

She sighed. “It’ll have to do.”


	4. Four of Spades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“I feel like I’m going to die on this planet.”_

“Are you kidding me right now?” 

Elspeth trudged up the hill in front of her, towing her gear for the upcoming mission. Voeld meant ice and cold and extra rations to keep up body heat, as well as blankets and heaters. Since she couldn’t take the Nomad, she lugged everything herself. She was going to kill him; the idea already settled in her mind. She would mourn, but eventually move on, quieting down with someone who wouldn’t send her to a random navpoint “IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE” for a mission that they asked  _ her  _ to help on. The least, “THE LEAST” he could’ve done was “pick me up at the port, like what the heck. It’s like he wants to piss me off.”

“Did you say something?” Reyes’ voice cut through her comms. “I’m closing in on your location now.”

“No more favors. Not for you, not for anyone.” She stopped to wipe the sweat from her brow. “You suck. This sucks. I changed my mind. I’m going to radio the Tempest to pick me up, and I’ll just meet you there.”

He laughed. “Wait a few more seconds.” She could spot a dark speck flying over the mountains towards her. She scowled as it neared, landing gear already popping out of the hatches. She dragged her stuff on board, tossing her bag to Reyes as he came towards her, arms out. 

“Don’t be mad,  _ mi alma _ .” 

“You don’t trust me, I get it. But why have me walk all the way out here by myself? Why not pick me up at the port like a normal person?” 

“Too many people know what my shuttle looks like. I’m keeping you safe.” He hung up her bag on a hook and wandered over to her, arms slipping around her waist. “I have a reason for everything I do.”

She frowned, trying to wiggle free of his grip. “Right. Like not letting me see your place.” 

He sighed. “I told you-”

“And I told you I wasn’t letting it go. You wanted me here, I’m here. You knew I was going to bring this up.” She sunk down onto one of the benches. “I’m going to nap on the way there.”

He frowned, but made his way back to the controls up front. She laid down, eyes on the back of his head as the door closed and the shuttle started to rise up into the air. A small part of her wanted to watch him fly, something she never saw him do before, though he talked about it. Most of her just wanted sleep, the tiredness of walking across the humid Kadara plains settling into her bones. She closed her eyes. Just a quick nap couldn’t hurt. The sound of clicking on the controls lulled her into a heavy sleep, the rocking motion of the shuttle sending her off to drift.

* * *

Reyes woke her with a kiss on the cheek and a hand stroking her hair out of her face. A smile broke out across her lips before she remembered the trouble he put her through just to pick her up. Elspeth pushed him away and sat up. He stuck out his bottom lip, pouting from his crouched position at her side. She ignored him, heading over to where her bag hung and digging out some of her warmer gear. “I take it we’re here?”

He straightened himself up, smoothing out the wrinkles in his pants. “Straight to business, just like when we first met.” 

She glowered over her shoulder, wrapping a black scarf around her neck. “This isn’t roleplay.” She looked over his outfit, the usual jacket and pants combo he favored sporting. “You’re not going out in that, are you? You’ll freeze the instant that door opens.” 

He thumbed toward the back of the shuttle. “I was on my way to change when I spotted you sleeping. I couldn’t take my eyes off your beautiful face.”

She turned into her bag, fighting the smile that attempted to form. “Flattery isn’t going to fix this.” 

“Then what will?” His voice purred in her ear. 

She bolted upright, not realizing he got so close. Arms slipped around her waist, his cheek pressed against the side of her head. One kiss wouldn’t hurt, right? But her resolve would slip, she knew that much. She couldn’t give him what he wanted, not when he refused her what she desired. She picked his arms up off of her and let them go back at his side. Whirling around, she kept her voice even as she said, “You know what I want.”

He scoffed. “Why is this so important to you?”

“Why is it so important that I don’t know?” She turned back to her bag, pulling out her armor linings for the gloves. “You act like you can’t trust me.” She wavered her voice a bit, just enough to make him feel bad. He wasn’t the only one good at manipulating people. And it wasn’t an outright lie; it did hurt her. She just knew how to work past it, focus on the mission at hand. 

“I do trust you,  _ mi alma _ . It’s just… complicated.” He let out a breathy sigh before sulking to where his armor stored. She kept busy readying her pack. Hopefully they wouldn’t have to walk this frozen tundra, but who really knew what he planned. His Charlatan mask was supposed to be off around her, that was their deal. With the house issue, it seemed very much still on. 

Reyes came out a short while later in all-white armor. Elspeth stifled her laughter over the fact that he resembled a giant marshmallow, but it must’ve shown on her face because he frowned as soon as he spotted her. “What?”

“I’m going to lose you out there pretty quickly.” 

His eyes narrowed. “Your suit shines bright enough for the both of us, Bumblebee.” 

She glanced down at her yellow and black scavenger armor. “Well, I think it looks beautiful.” 

She could see him trying to fight off his reply, probably something along the lines of, “ _ And I think you look beautiful in it, but it’s not practical, mi alma. _ ” Instead, he gritted his teeth and grabbed his pack off the hook on the wall. “I had to cash in some favors with the Resistance, but there should be a Nomad waiting for us just beyond the next hill. The shuttle should be safe enough at this location until we leave.”

Great, more walking. She looked to her pack, dreading the feel of its weight on her back, even for just one hill. 

Helmet secure, she threw the door open. The wind whipped around her, blowing snow drifts into the shuttle. She jumped out, Reyes following quickly after her. He pointed up what looked to be a steep mountain made of ice glistening like diamonds in the cold sun. She got why he didn’t park closer, but couldn’t he grab the Nomad and come back for her? She didn’t feel prepared as she stared up at its peaks, standing waist deep in the snow. “They were supposed to park it up at the top.”

_ Were  _ didn’t exactly inspire confidence. “And if it’s not there?”

He glanced over to her and shrugged as his hand glossed over the rifle on his hip. “Let’s get moving.” 

She couldn’t remember if she ever told him how much she hated Voeld. Maybe if she voiced her displeasure about the planet sooner, he wouldn’t have invited her along. She cut her mics so he wouldn’t hear her unevenness of her breath, gasping under her helmet as she struggled through the snow after him. Each step felt like the snow actively fought against her. 

Reyes glided through with ease, benefits of being tall. He kept stopping to let her catch up before plowing forward again. This mission was definitely not her favorite. 

After the fifth time he stopped to wait, he snatched her pack off her back when she neared, slinging it over his shoulder with his own pack. She cut her mic back on. “Thank you.”

“We’re almost to the coordinates. You won’t have that much further to walk.”

“Good. My legs are killing me.” 

He peeked back at her from his position ahead. “Are you going to be okay to fight?”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve handled worse.”

He shifted his attention forward. After a few more strides, he pointed off to the side. “Over there. See it?” 

She squinted, eyes following where he gestured. She could make out a dark mirage in the distance, nothing concrete but enough of a shimmer on the pale skyline. 

She struggled to follow close behind him as he headed in that direction, no longer stopping to check if she was still there. He could most likely hear her in the mic, wheezing as she pushed through each step. 

The closer they got to the Nomad, the more she asserted herself. The cold nipped at the heels of her armor, begging to be let in. Her liners and the battery-backed heating of the armor kept it at bay, but she knew too much time out there would leave her a popsicle. Just a little further, and she could defrost inside. 

* * *

The Nomad fared no better in the perpetual winter, only a shield for the wind. Reyes slid behind the controls and cranked the heat up to full blast. Elspeth watched as he unlatched his helmet, running a gloved hand through his thick hair and beaming up at her. “That was rough.”

She followed his motion by removing her own helmet, tucking it under her arm. She sank into the chair beside him, exhaustion once again sweeping her tiny frame. “I feel like I’m going to die on this planet.” 

“Don’t say that.” He reached across the distance and skimmed a finger down her arm. “We’ve only just started this mission.” 

“And already, I’m tired. Again.” She drew her knees up to her chest, balancing on the chair. “I’m not sure I was the right person to come with you.”

He stood up and walked behind her, wrapping his arms over hers. “You are the only person I want with me right now.”

“I’m no good with ice.” 

“I can find ways to keep you warm.” 

He pressed his lips into the side of her head, allowing her to lean back into his arms. Eyes fluttering closed, she soaked in the warmth blowing out of the heaters in the dashboard, the feel of her lover’s arms around her, and the confidence he radiated. She forgot about being mad, just for a minute, as she let him hold her. They would make it through this. They had to. 


	5. King of Diamonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“The signal’s coming from inside.”_

Reyes pulled up a map of Voeld on his omnitool, pointing to a remote location in the Northeast corner. “The bulletin was sent from here. You go in through the front, I go around back.”

“Why am I the one drawing fire?” Elspeth asked, leaning forward in her chair to get a better look at the map.

He laughed and pointed to her armor. “Buzz buzz, Bumblebee.”

She scowled and crossed her arms, slanting back in her chair. “We’ll see whose laughing when this _bumblebee_ saves your behind.”

He rolled his eyes, closing the map and kicking the Nomad out of park. She watched the landscape go by in silence, eyes glued to the skyline. _Trap_ , Vetra’s warning echoed in her brain, and Elspeth felt the confirmation in her gut. Something seemed off here, almost too easy. Reyes took precautions, sure, but were they enough?

“SAM, what can you tell me about where we’re headed?”

No reply.

“SAM?”

Gurgled, static sounded inside her head, but nothing she could make out. She turned toward Reyes, whose hands gripped the wheel. “Have you tried radioing anyone since we got here?”

His eyes glanced over before he nodded. “My contact in the Resistance, the one who got us the Nomad. I wasn’t able to reach him.”

“Do you think the comms are jammed?” But that was ridiculous, right? A planet-wide jam? So powerful that not even SAM could get through? Was that even possible? And if so, this mission just became _much_ more difficult. The probability of a trap shot up immensely.

“I think something smells rotten. I’m a little surprised that the Nomad wasn’t wired to blow.”

She whipped her head around to glower at him. “Were you going to tell me?”

He smirked, keeping his attention on the terrain. “Eventually. But since I scanned for explosives before gunning the engine, it wasn’t a pressing matter.”

“The only way this is going to work is if you’re up front with me about stuff like this.” She shook her head in disbelief. “Reyes, for Maker’s sake, _trust me_.”

He frowned, pushing the Nomad back into park before turning to her. “I do trust you.”

“Really? Cause the last month hasn’t felt like it.”

He groaned. “I told you, it’s complicated.”

“Then _uncomplicate_ it.” When he didn’t make a motion to speak, she added, “How are you going to trust me to watch your back when you’re not even giving me all the information for the mission? This isn’t even about your place anymore, Reyes. You’re holding out on me with important stuff, things I need to know before the shooting starts.”

His gaze lingered on her before he hefted a sigh and hung his head. “You’re right. I apologize.”

She wasn’t sure if she believed him, but she slipped off the chair and to her knees beside him, placing a hand on his forearm. “You’re not alone in this. I’m here to help, and the only way I can do that is if you’re open with me.” She waited for him to look up into her eyes, stroking her hand down his cheek. “So anything else you want to add before I risk my neck for this?”

He sighed, clicking a few buttons on his omnitool. “They know who I am, whoever _they_ are.” He flashed the bulletin Vetra had shown on the Tempest. “That's why we’re here, to protect Kadara.”

She crawled back into her seat. “Yeah, I know. Vetra’s contact sent this her way. We have two days left, right?”

He nodded, bemused. “You never cease to surprise me, Bumblebee.”

She wrinkled her nose with distaste of her new nickname. “Do you have any ideas who we’re dealing with? What their proof could be?”

“None.” He started back on the road, the Nomad skidding as it hit a frozen lake.

* * *

Elspeth dropped Reyes off a short distance from the base before ramming into the front of it, jumping out with her shotgun blazing. Ducking behind a crate as shots fired at her from all sides, she took a moment to assess her situation. The distraction worked, buying time for Reyes to sneak up and wipe them out as planned. Who was shooting at her though? She glanced over the side of the crate, a bullet whizzing by her helmet.

 _Roekkar_. She didn’t figured them to be interested in the Charlatan. Her anxiety dropped into her stomach, the feeling of something amiss drowning out her surroundings.

“That one sounded close,” Reyes cut through her comms, bringing her back to the firefight.  

“Yeah, well, they got me pinned down. So the plan’s going nicely.” She fired a few rounds off around the side, an “oof” sound coming from one of the combatants. “I’m not so sure we’re in the right place though.” She couldn’t shake the feeling that came with the Roekkar being there, that something felt eskew.

“The signal’s coming from inside.”

“Yeah, but-”

“This is the place.”

She rolled her eyes, popping in another clip into her gun. Whatever. If he was so intent on ignoring her advice, she would just shut up and let him find out for himself. She fired a few more rounds, one of them hitting an angaran between the eyes, grey matter expelling out the back of his head.

One tried to creep to her left, but she charged, using her jump jets to spring into the air and slam into him with her omniblade. The blade slid into its throat with ease and she used the force of the push to cut through its neck. A gurgled cry expelled as it collapsed to the ground, indigo blood speckling the pristine of the snow.

Reyes’ laughter drifted through her helmet. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Is that not the saying?”

She took cover behind a rock jutting out of the ground, glancing around for a glimpse of him. “Less snark, more help.”

He chuckled. “Cover your ears.”

She knew him well enough to know what that implied. She curled up, cutting off her comms just as an explosion rocked the ground beneath her feet. Gunfire ceased in the chaos, giving her time to pick off the three remaining Roekkar on her side. She scrambled up onto the roof of the building, keeping low while sneaking to the opposite ledge.

Reyes held his gun out in front of him, a spray of bullets aimed at the sole survivor of the blast. He waited until the angaran’s blood painted the snowdrift before addressing her position on the roof. “It’s safe to come down now.”

She floated down, eyes catching a red stain on his shoulder as she landed. Rushing to his side, she wrapped a hand around his arm to keep him steady. Her eyes darted between the hole in his shoulder to his reflective helmet, picturing the serious, pained expression on his face.

His blood stood out on his otherwise pure white suit. “So much for your camouflage.” She poked around the bullet wound. “Does it hurt?”

He shoved her hand away. “Don’t touch it.”

She took a step back, hands in the air. “Fine. But now isn’t the time for your bravado, Vidal. We need to get you inside, clean you up and slap some medigel on it before you lose more blood.”

“It’s fine. Broadcast first.”

She sighed, weary of trying to fight him on every little bit of the mission. “Ok. But then your shoulder. That’s non-negotiable.”

They snuck inside, no sign of any more enemies to fight. Reyes led the way into an empty side room. He snapped off his helmet, curling it under his arm. “I don’t get it. The signal says it’s coming from here.”

Elspeth felt around the walls, trying to find an indent or button of some kind that was hidden. He followed suit, starting at the opposite end. As they reached the middle, their feet sunk into the floor, a click echoing through the room. They turned simultaneously to see the door flash from green to red. He glanced down at his omnitool. “Shit.”

She sucked in her lips, trying to resist a retort but unable to help herself. “The signal was bounced, wasn’t it?”

He grinned sheepishly. “It’s coming from underground, out in the middle of the lake now.”

She stormed over to the door, attempting to force it back. It remained in place, refusing to give. Well, crap. She tried to hail her AI companion again. “SAM, can you hear me? I need this door opened.”

“R….R….Ryd…”

He wasn’t going to be any help, whatever blockade in place still going strong. SAM might break through it, eventually, but for the moment, they were on their own. She scanned the door, hoping to pick up something she could use. Nothing stood out.

“Do you still have charges?” She glanced behind her for guidance, but sucked in a deep breath as her eyes caught sight of Reyes stripping out of his armor as he sat on the floor. _“What the holy heck are you doing?”_

He ignored her, careful of his shoulder as he tried to take off his shirt, wincing as he pulled his arm out of the sleeve. She darted over to help, unlatching her helmet as she kneeled down in front. Her fingers grazed the wounds. It looked bad, a tinge of purple around the holes. She scanned it, the omnitool reading what she feared to be true: trace amounts of poison shot into his system with the shrapnel from what seemed to be a shredder round.

“I’m going to have to dig out the pieces of the shot before I administer any medigel.”

“Don’t worry about it. I can take-”

“Shut up, Reyes.” She liked the surprised look that flickered across his face before a thin smile spread across his lips. “You were in charge, and look what happened. It’s my turn now, and I say that we need to clean your wound. This takes priority over the door.”

He leaned his back against the wall, eyes running over her. “I like this side of you.”

Heat broke against her cheeks, but she disregarded him, pulling a serrated blade out of her boot. Her father taught her his N7 training growing up, back before SAM took over his life. She knew how to dig the pieces out, and how to get poison from someone’s system. They were on a time constraint, and every second of it vibrated along her skin. She didn’t know how fast the poison acted, and that the shot dug in so close to his heart troubled her. She tore off a strip of his shirt, earning a disgruntled “Hey!” from him.

She ignored his cry, needing to move fast. “This is going to hurt; there’s no other way around it.”

Eyes like polished amber surveyed her face. “You’re worried.”

“You’re hurt.”

He shook his head. “No, it’s something else. Something you’re not telling me.” He gritted his teeth as she stuck the knife into one of the holes, blood dripping down as she dug the tip of it into him, just under the splinter of grey metal. The scan showed 14 pieces in him, and as she pulled out the first, she knew he was in for a long ride.

“Do you need to bite down on something?”

“I can manage.” He groaned as the knife slid back in, fishing out another piece. 12 left. “Don’t change the subject.”

“I can’t talk and operate.” A poor excuse, but a real one.

The next piece struggled, and she had to push the knife in deeper, the trickle of blood turning into a stream. She worked in silence as he fought to regulate his breathing, eyes closed as he groaned and clenched his jaw to handle the pain. She knew she didn’t have a delicate touch, especially when she rushed. Her eyes kept flickering between his face and his shoulder, checking to make sure he was okay. Sweat broke out along his brow; she prayed it wasn’t from the poison.

With the last piece out, she dabbed at the blood with his rag of a shirt before slanting forward, lips over the wounds. She sucked, trying to ignore the rust-flavor of his blood as it filled her mouth, before turning to spit into what was left of his shirt. She repeated until his blood tasted less acidic, but went a few more times just to be sure. She scanned when she finished, reporting back that he was clean.

When she sat back on her heels, his lips parted into a grin. “I have something else that could use your attention, if you’re finished with that.”

She didn’t have to look down to know that his pants tented. Only Reyes would get turned on by something close to dying. She dug a water canteen out of a holster, swishing it around in her mouth to clear the taste of blood out. The last thing she needed was to poison herself from trying to help him. She poured a little of it over his shoulder, trying to wash it to the best of her ability before applying the medigel. He grimaced as it made contact with his skin.

His hands slid under her butt, bringing her into him. “I can think of some ways we can pass the time.”

She shoved him off, already forgetting about his shoulder. He winced as she pushed herself back, crawling out of his reach. “I’m still mad at you. You’ve been insufferable this whole trip.” She pulled her scanner back up, going over every inch of the room, searching for something they missed. Nothing picked up. She tried SAM again.

“Ryder….trouble? I’m unable….locate…”

Reception was getting better, which left her hopeful. “SAM, can you unlock this door? I’m sending you a scan of the door now.” She rescanned the door, waiting for a response.

SAM didn’t disappoint. “It might….an hour, but I should….unlock...”

“Thanks, SAM.” There wasn’t a response, but his reply was enough to keep her from going crazy. She turned back toward Reyes, who was still hunkered down against the wall. “SAM’s going to unlock the door, but it might take an hour cause of the frequency jam. We’ll just have to sit here.” She drew her knees to her chest. “We should pick up our fight. From where we left off.”

“I wish you’d stop calling it that.”

“So you don’t think we’re fighting?”

“I prefer the word _disagreement_.”

She chuffed. “Call it what you want; we’re finishing this.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, his head resting against the wall. “There’s nothing to finish. You said what you wanted, I said no. What else is there?”

She rested her chin on her knee. “So that’s it. I’m not getting a why I can’t come over. Are you secretly married? Is that it?”

He laughed. She pressed her tongue against her teeth as her jaw locked of its own volition. “I couldn’t handle anyone else, Bumblebee.”

“Then why? Why can’t I see your place? Why do we have to keep meeting in motel rooms or sneaking past my crew to get to my room? Why mine and not yours?”

“I told you-”

“ _It’s complicated._ Yeah, I got that part. Well, guess what? We’re stuck here, so you have time to explain how exactly it’s _complicated_.” She quirked an eyebrow and waited for his response.

He huffed through his nostrils. “No one knows where it is. I want to keep it that way.”

Her mouth fell open as she attempted to tame the fire raging inside of her. “So you think it’s fair that you can come see me on the Tempest, but I have to see you in some seedy bar?” She rolled her eyes. “No mask, remember? Give it to me straight.”

He chuckled, but the scowl on her lips stopped him from any joking comment. “You won’t like my answer.”

“Well, it can’t be any worse than feeling like some consort of the King.” She took pride in the wince that followed her statement. The hurt wasn’t intentional, but she wanted to make it obvious how she felt. She deserved the truth.

She watched him toss words around in his head, her patience for the truth keeping her from pressing him further. He’d open his mouth just to shut it again, the sentences rolling onto the next one. If he lied, it wouldn’t take this long to speak.

He bowed his head. “If something happened… between us, something bad...my home isn’t fortified. You would know where I sleep, and I would be forced to relocate.”

She chewed on her bottom lip as she struggled to piece together what he told her. Something bad? What did he expect? And why did it matter if she knew where he slept? He knew where she did, which was typically by his side.

“So… explain this to me, because I don’t think I get it. You expect something bad to happen between us? Bad like how?”

He shrugged, but kept his gaze off of her. She knew then. Her insides froze into the ice that plagued the planet as he spoke. “If our… partnership were to end on a sour note…”

Partnership? Their relationship. He meant their relationship. She forced down the tears that bubbled in her eyes as the realization hit her. He expected this to go bad. He didn’t plan for them to last. She knew that six months into whatever existed between them stood too early for any serious commitment, but to go into it with an end date?

No wonder Zia was so angry. Would Elspeth, too, fall into the “just someone I had drinks with on occasion” category? What did he see them as?

She realized he waited for a reply to his previous statement, as incomplete as it was. She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand before looking up into his eyes. “What are you saying? You think I would come after you if something happened between us? In your home? While you’re sleeping?”

He shrugged, appearing nonchalant about the whole affair. “I need to be prepared.”

Elspeth Ryder was not a violent person under ordinary circumstances. She would never harm a defenseless person in their sleep. But right now, as her lover sat across from her, trying to avoid the heat in her eyes, she felt like she could actually do it. How many people had he used this flimsy excuse on? “If I was going to hurt you, don’t you think I would’ve done it by now? Let Sloane kill you in your powerplay for Kadara? I sleep in the same bed as you when we’re at a motel, so why not your place?”

“That can change.”

She pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes in his direction. “So that’s your answer. You don’t want me to see your place because I might _murder_ you or betray you or whatever the _fuck_ you think I’m going to do.”

His eyes whipped to hers. “I said that it was complicated.”

She stood up, dusting off the ass of her armor. “Allow me to uncomplicate it for you then. I’m going to stop asking, because I don’t want to be in this _partnership_ with you anymore.”

He struggled to rise to his feet, hand gripping his shoulder. “Els, _mi alma,_ I didn’t mean anything by it.”

She backed up as he tried to touch her, ignoring the pleading in his gaze. “No, you don’t get to touch me. You don’t get to call me “Els” or “mi alma” or “bumblebee”. You wanted your something bad to happen, well here it is. You can stop worrying that I’m going to hurt you now.”

She shrunk down in the corner farthest away from him, ignoring his protests. Tears burned in the corners of her eyes, threatening to roll down her face. Stupid. She actually liked him, really liked him. It was her fault, getting swept up in his charm like that. She hid her head in her arms, willing herself still as the tears began to fall off her cheeks and into her lap. She let a few steam down before wiping them away and pulling her helmet back on. She wouldn’t let him see how he affected her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About this chapter, I researched for hours trying to figure out how to get poison out of someone's system. You kinda learn it growing up in WV cause of rattlesnakes, but I wanted to be absolutely sure. 
> 
> The problem I came across is that there were mixed reviews on this front. One review said that poison can only be cured with an antidote. Another said that bleeding it out and sucking it out is fine, and if you can, seal it off from the rest of the body.
> 
> Well antidote wasn't an option here, so I went with the way I was always told, the way I found in an army textbook online about how to treat snake bites on the field.


	6. Jack of Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“I think I’m hit.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd say this is my favorite chapter, but they all are.

A tense 45 minutes passed them by in silence. Reyes couldn’t believe that just happened. Already his hands yearned to hold her, to kiss the top of her head and smooth her hair, try to calm her. But he did this to her. He had seen her mad plenty of times before, but not like this. Not hurt. Never hurt. He fucked up this time, but he didn’t know how to fix it. Words failed him, an attempt at an apology lost in his throat.

The door shifted to green without warning, a small clicking sound echoing from the lock. Elspeth bolted up and through the door. He took a few minutes to put himself back together, reassembling his armor and mourning the loss of a favorite shirt. As for her, he decided she couldn’t stay mad at him. By the end of the mission, she’d forgive him and they’d go back to how things were before.

He stuffed the remains of his shirt into the hole of his suit before heading out, trying to seal out the icy air. It wasn’t perfect, but it only needed to hold until he applied a patch from his pack still on the Nomad. He felt a little light-headed, most likely from the loss of blood. He wished they could go back to that moment, her mouth hot against his wounds, the feel of her sucking against his skin. They could stay in that moment, just the two of them, before she asks for the truth and he, like an _pendejo_ , gives it to her. _Dios_ , was this really happening? She had been fine with him being the Charlatan, but this was where she drew her line? Was she right in this?

She sat behind the controls when he stepped back into the Nomad. He made a move to try and take her place, but stopped himself. Let her drive, if that helped blow off her steam. She needed time, that was all. She couldn't throw away what they had just because he protected himself. He was the Charlatan, after all. That involved discretion, and being careful with his trust. He trusted her, just not with everything. He couldn’t be the only one. She held her secrets, too, right?

After a short drive away from the base, she parked under an ice shelf. He looked to her curiously. “Why did we stop?”

She stood up, stretching her arms in the air. “We need to be well-rested before we hit the next base. That means sleep and repairing that gash in your armor.”

He scoffed. “Let’s get this over with, keep moving.”

The glare she shot him could've frosted over the tundra outside the vehicle. “You got shot. You need to give your body a chance to heal, to rest.” She swung her shotgun out of its holster, laying it across her lap as she sank back into the driver’s chair. “I'll take first watch up here.”

“Ryder…”

“I won't go back there. Even though you don't trust me, trust that I want this mission done and over with. That involves you alive.”

He hated the hurt she tried to disguise in her voice because of him. “I'm sorry.” And he meant it. He was sorry that she couldn't understand.

“I'm done talking. Leave your chest piece so I can work on it up here.” She set music to play from her omnitool, soft and rhythmic, and swiveled her chair to face away.

His gaze lingered at the back of her pink head for a few more minutes before he sighed and unhooked the clasps to his armor. He leaned it against the wall before heading back and grabbing a fresh, unripped shirt. He tugged his sleeper roll from inside his pack and laid it out on the floor, stuffing his usual blade under his pillow as a precaution.

* * *

The ship resembled a freezer when Reyes woke. The wind howled against the hull of the Nomad, the sound of snow and ice pelting the sides. The vehicle darkened during the time he rested, and the steady vibration of the engine grew absent. His breath hovered around him as he shivered, drawing the roll further around him. Maybe the cold caused it, but his stomach felt queasy.

He unzipped his sleeper roll so he could stand up, making sure to grab his knife as he stalked toward the cockpit. His mind flooded with thoughts as to what could've happened, why was it so cold, and where was Els? He tiptoed to the front of the vehicle, careful not to make a sound.

Els slumped over in the front seat, head lolled to the side. He rushed over to her, tossing his knife and shaking her shoulders. She jolted awake, shoving the shotgun into his ribs.  When she registered that it was him standing there, she hauled it back. “Don't _do_ that. I could've shot you.” She sat up in her seat, throwing his hand off her shoulder.

“I thought you… but you were…”

“I fell asleep, I'm sorry.” She rolled her eyes. “And I didn't kill you in your sleep, so there.”

He sunk down in the chair beside her. “I'm glad you're okay.”

Her gaze lingered on him for a few seconds. “Are _you_? You're looking a little pale.”

“I'm just cold.” He shivered to reiterate his point. “Why did you cut the engines?”

“It might’ve given away our position.” She turned the Nomad back on, lights flickering on above their heads. “There. It should warm up pretty quickly.” She stood up, securing her shotgun back into its holster. “How's your shoulder?”

He rolled it, wincing at the sharp stabbing feeling as he did. “It's fine.”

She wasn't convinced by his terrible acting. “Take your shirt off. I'll put some more medigel on.”

He grinned. “You don't need an excuse to undress me, Bumblebee.”

She frowned as she helped him get his arm through the sleeve. “I said no more nicknames. Don't act like earlier didn’t happen.” She coated his wound with two layers of medigel, light fingertips dancing along his skin. Bruises already formed over the area. No wonder he ached.

* * *

 Elspeth must’ve patched his armor while he slept. He ran his fingers along the seams of it, light red stained around the sutured area, an effort to scrub his blood away. He glanced to where she dressed next to him, changing out her armor linings for clean ones.

“We’re low on medigel, so don't get shot this time, or I'll have to let you bleed out.”

He couldn't tell if she was serious or not, her voice even and unfeeling. “Same plan as before?”

“No. My gut is telling me this is another false signal, so only one of us should go in this time.”

“Sounds good.”

Kett swarmed the hardened top of the underground base. Reyes picked out around 30 of them, just outside. Small lights dotted the dark waterscape, pinpointing exact locations for the enemy.

Finally a stroke of luck for the mission, the signal appeared close to the top of the cavern and no door. He would sneak around and check out the signal while she played distraction yet again. His eyes lingered on her petite yellow and black frame cutting across the frozen tundra before he drew in a deep breath and jumped to the ground.

She was a good distraction, he could give her that. In her yellow, she stood out like a beacon, and she was loud, her gunfire echoing through the cavern. He ran into two kett, driving his knife across their necks so the sound of a gun wouldn't give away his position. He could hear more kett deep inside, probably lying in wait for someone to venture further down.

He ducked into the first slit of the cavern walls he came across, where the signal originated. Just like she guessed, it bounced to another location. He groaned. “No good,” he radioed.

She sounded winded in her reply. “I need help. Five guys have me pinned.”

He charged out of the caverns, managing four shots into the backs of kett standing guard at the mouth. No more need to keep quiet on his part. Further off, he could see her situation, three Anointeds circling a crate with guns drawn, two Destineds further back but closing in. _Mierda._ He wouldn't reach her in time to take them all out. “Almost there. Hold tight, Bumblebee.”

He pushed himself until air vacated his lungs, sweat popping up on his brow. He could make it in time. Just a little further...

There was a flash of yellow as she dashed behind one of their vehicles, taking down a Destined on her way. The others screamed with fury. One of the Anointeds slid behind the other side of her cover. He heard a storm of gunfire, the sickening thuds of the kett’s semi-automatic bullets hitting something solid. Not her, he begged the universe. Not her. His adrenaline sped him the last few meters, slamming into the closest of the Anointeds with the barrel of his rifle and firing a round off into its head. He snatched up its gun from the corpse to mow down the remaining four kett.

He careened around the corner of the vehicle, cutting down the last Anointed without hesitation. In front of the corpse, realization swept over him as he stared at the lump on the ground. The Anointed’s victory trophy.  

Elspeth doubled over on the ground, clutching her stomach. Blood stained her bright armor and gloves as she squeezed her hands into her. He kneeled down beside her, trying to do his best not to show the trembling in his legs. “Fuck! Els. Bumblebee, can you hear me?” She slowly moved her hands out of the way to show him the hit.

It looked worse up close, pieces of her flesh hanging around what looked to be a deep hole in her gut. “I think I’m hit.”

He attempted to laugh, to lighten the mood, but the humor in the situation was lost on him. He could feel the ground moving underneath his feet. More kett were coming, and she was in no position to fight. “We need to get you back to the Nomad, okay? Just hang on, Els.”

She attempted to push herself up with one hand, the other still gripping her stomach as she turned over; her elbow weakened and she fell back into the snow, which stained crimson around her. “I don’t think I can walk.”

He scooped her up, one arm holding her legs, the other under her back. “Keep applying pressure. Once we’re clear, we can get you help.”

He ran the best he could with her in his arms, the jump-jets helping more than his legs. He could see her weakening, the sound of her breathing growing more shallow as each step jostled her frail body. Her eyes shut and didn’t reopen as he stormed up the last hill, the Nomad just over the top.

Smoke billowed over the embankment, black, hot, and out of place on the white tundra. From the origin, Reyes could make a guess that they found their vehicle. _Mierda! Hijo de puta!_ He didn’t know how much longer she was going to last. She lost so much blood already, and her unconscious state worried him.

Off in the distance, maybe three kilometers or more away, he could see mountains. Mountains gave way for the possibilities of caves. It would be a hard hike, especially in her condition, but it seemed their only choice. They needed to get to cover, and she needed medigel.

He didn’t get far before his shoulder began to twinge, his own injury straining under her weight. She wasn’t heavy, but the pressure bothered him. He gritted his teeth, trying his best to ignore it. Her safety came first. He could endure a little pain if it meant getting her there.

* * *

His deduction proved fruitful, a small cavern cut into the mountain base. It could shelter them from the winds and the kett, in case they came after them. He staggered in, glad to not have to fight the snow drifts anymore. The cavern seemed well lit, despite being closed in.

Deep inside the cavern, he found an abandoned work station with a heater. He laid her out on one of the pallets, an involuntary whimper escaping her throat. At least she still breathed, however shallow. He tore her armor off, eager to dress her trauma; her shirt destroyed in the process. She trembled as the cold hit her now grey skin. He ran his fingers gingerly around the scorch marks on her stomach. She lost a lot of blood, and the wounds were deep, but not enough to penetrate her stomach lining, thank the skies.

Because heat sinks hit her, that meant slapping the medigel on with no preparation. He brought out their shared canister. Only one left, and the severity of her injury called for at least  three. Hopefully this would be enough to hold her until they found more.

He slathered it over her, making sure he covered every inch of the wound. “Els? Bumblebee?” Still not responsive. Her cheeks, usually pink in color, looked a sickly grey. He needed to get her warm _now_ . Fire couldn’t be an option. It would give away their position, even if they _had_ something to burn.

He took out a silver thermal blanket from his belt pouch, wrapping her in it as he tried to figure something more permanent out. Tarps nearby gave him an idea, and he dragged the pallet she laid on over underneath the heater.

The heater turned to low, he wrapped a tarp around it and formed a makeshift tent around the sleeping Elspeth. He crawled in beside her, snapping off his armor and underclothes but leaving his underwear on. He dressed her down next. She needed every bit of warmth he could offer.

He drew her into his arms under the blanket, stroking her hair and pressing chaste kisses onto her frigid face. “Make it out of this, Bumblebee, and I promise, you can have whatever you want. If you want to see where I live, then that’s what we’ll do when we get back. But you have to pull through, Els. You have to.” He kissed both closed eyes.

“I..” He rubbed his cheek along the crown of her head, the sentence lodged in his throat. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. So do this one thing for me.” He pulled her hands up to his chest and cradled them. When he caught sight of the twin tattoo on her wrist, he placed a kiss there too.“I won’t ask you for anything else. Survive.”

She remained a statue in his arms, indifferent to his pleas.


	7. Ace of Diamonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“We need to finish this, before anything else happens.”_

Warmth like molasses spread through her bones as Elspeth dragged herself away from the dark of sleep. She yawned, pressing her face into Reyes’ neck to stifle the sound. Her abdomen ached as she wrapped her arms around his waist. 

The previous day’s events came back to her in slow motion; Reyes hurt, the fight, the Anointed she missed cutting her down before she could react. She rolled onto her back, muscles groaning under the motion. Her fingers flew to caress where she last gaped open, but only a few deep scars remained. 

That meant the last of the medigel. 

Reyes still slept, his earth brown hair hanging in his face. His skin appeared a few shades lighter, if she wasn’t mistaken, almost sickly looking. She cupped the side of his face, thumb tracing over his lips. 

She still cared about him. She knew when she ended things that her attachment wouldn’t just disappear. Together or not, she couldn’t stop the way she felt about him. And the feel of his body against hers didn’t help matters, reminding her of everything she gave up. But she needed to remain resolute on this. He was either going to give in, or they were going to stay apart, and in that case, she deserved better. 

But she didn’t want better. She wanted him. 

She let them stay like that, stuck in his naked embrace under their clothes while waiting for him to wake up. She could always feign sleep and pretend to be angry when she woke up, if she needed. If he tried anything, she felt good about her chances at fighting off his advances. This, too, she could use against him, how she didn’t try to kill him yet again, even with him defenseless. Proof for when she needed it, if she needed it. 

He moaned in his sleep, one of his hands twitching against her. What did he dream about? Careful of his shoulder, she nudged him awake. His wounds didn’t look like they were healing properly, the bruising around them worse than she remembered. As his eyes opened, she noticed how glazed over and milky the light made them appear. Something was definitely wrong with him. He acted like whatever it was didn’t faze him, skimming a cold hand up her bare back. “ _ Mi alma, _ you’re alive.” 

“How are you feeling?”

He chuckled until he started hacking. He rolled away from her, pulling a hand away to cover his mouth. When he resumed position, she spotted a dribble of blood falling from his lips. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, forcing a smile. “I should be asking you that question.” His hand swiped across her stomach. “You scared me, Bumblebee.”

“You’re scaring me now.” She rested the back of her hand on his forehead, his skin like hard ice. “What’s wrong?”

Frowning, he untangled himself from her, whisking his clothes away as he stood up outside the tent to get dressed. “Nothing. I feel fine.”

“Stop lying to me!” She sat up, clutching her clothes to her chest. “Why do I have to needle you every time I want the truth?”

He didn’t so much as glance her way. “We need to get moving, get another vehicle so we can go to the next signal.”

Another vehicle? “What happened to the Nomad?”

His movements, bringing up his pants and buckling them, were sluggish. Who did he think he fooled with his act? She brought up the scanner on her omnitool and read over his vitals. His heart rate was lower than average, core body temperature falling with it. She didn’t know how, but the poison still lived in his system. She looked up, seeing the hard scowl on his face. “What?”

“Who doesn’t trust  _ who  _ now? I said I was fine.”

The scowl that formed on her lips mirrored his. “You’re not. We need to get-”

“We need to finish this, before anything else happens.”

She hesitated. If she spoke the words, it gave them power, solidified them as fact. But he needed to know. He needed to realize… 

“Reyes, you’re  _ dying _ .”

The words didn’t faze him, and it struck her that he knew. Maybe he always knew, since the minute the shrapnel embedded itself inside of him. Maybe he hadn’t felt right since getting shot in the shoulder. He didn’t even pause as he slipped his armor around him. “The mission comes first.”

She struggled to stand, body screaming from pain as she climbed to her feet. “Don’t be stupid! You won’t make it far enough to see this through!” She teetered over to him, almost falling over until he caught her. She stared in horror as her hands brushed against the blood on his otherwise white armor, her blood. The front appeared to be bathed in it. She glanced up at him, into his milk and honey eyes. “We need to get you help. Now.”

He scoffed. “It’ll be too late by then. We need to finish this.”

She yanked down the collar of his armor, dragging his face down to meet her at her level. “This isn’t the time-”

“Elspeth.” The tone in his voice sent chills down her spine, colder than she felt standing half-naked in an ice cavern. “Get dressed. We’re not arguing about this.” He pried her grip off his armor and helped her back over to her clothes. “Do you need help?” 

She shoved him away. “I can do it myself.” Though bending down sent needles shooting through her system, she managed to slip her pants up. Her shirt hung in tatters. She wouldn’t be able to wear it. She guessed this could be seen as payback for destroying his, but she had a good reason, and he packed another one. Speaking of which, “Where are our packs? The Nomad?”

“The kett blew it up.” He screwed his helmet on, his face now a reflective mask. 

She followed his gaze to her stomach. It was hard not to, the deep red gashes, the blackness that settled across it. It looked horrible, and painful. She felt the stiff pull of her muscles every time she moved. It hurt, but she would make it through. Her father always said she was tough when she wanted to be, and right now, she needed to be. 

* * *

 

They stood at the edge of the cave, gazing into the empty frozen tundra. Elspeth didn’t have anything to use to fill the gaps in her suit, and her bare stomach exposed to the elements hurt worse than the gunshots. What she wouldn’t give for some medigel right then. She folded her arms over the bare spot. Where were they supposed to go? The wind swept away Reyes’ footprints overnight, so they couldn’t tell what direction they came from. 

“SAM, you there?”

“Our connection has been resto…extent.”

Well, it was better than nothing. “Do you have a lock on my location?”

“I do, but I will not…..transmit to anyone outside..this planet.” 

“Where is the nearest enclosed location? One with a Nomad.”

“I detect a facility one kilometer east from your location.” 

That wasn’t far, just over one of the hills to the side. “Can you detect any movement over there?”

“It appears….abandoned, though….two fiends within the vicinity.”

That was better than nothing. “Thanks, SAM. Keep trying to radio out to the crew. We need help down here, whatever we can get. Try the Resistance as well. Outposts, whatever we can get.” 

She pointed toward where SAM had directed her. “This way.” She didn’t wait for Reyes before she started across the tundra. He was getting help, whether he wanted it or not, even if she had to drop him off at the angaran base and run. Even with the snow piles, she still lead as she fought through the drifts, Reyes lagging behind her. 

She spotted the fiends before she saw the camp. The Nomad sat between the two as they circled, attracted by the smell of whatever once inhabited the area. She stayed low to the ground. If they weren’t colorblind, they would be able to spot them fairly fast out in the snow. SAM never told them if this was the case in the initial scans, and she was hurting too bad to get close enough to try and rescan. 

“Any ideas?” She half-turned toward Reyes, who stood with shoulders slouched and stance uneven.

“Run?” 

She rolled her eyes, forgetting that he couldn’t see it. “I distract them, you run?” 

“No,” he shook his head. “We both run. You can’t get hurt again.”

“And I don’t know that you’ll be fast enough to make it.” She glanced back over to the fiends. “If you’re quick about it, I won’t need to distract them for long.” 

“I don’t like it.”

“Duly noted. Now get ready. I’m going to draw them away from the base, to the west.” She started to turn toward the open tundra, but a hand grabbed her wrist. 

“Elspeth.”

“Hm?” She took one more look behind her.

“Just… be careful.” 

“You too. I’m counting on you.” She hesitated as his hand slipped away. She knew how dangerous this was, but it was the only plan they had. She lowered her visor, the chill slapping her face. She let go of her stomach to drag his collar down and grab his helmet to pull it off.

He squinted as the glare from the sun hit his eyes unfiltered. “What are you-”

She captured his lips with hers, the inside of his mouth burning compared to the rest of her face. She heard a low, guttural noise deep in his throat as their tongues clashed together. She leaned out of it, pressing small kisses into his lips before letting go of her grip. “For luck. Or just in case. Whatever you want to call it.” She slammed her visor down and sprinted out across the field. She jumped into the air with the help of her jump jets, waving her arms wildly. “Hey, you big dumb animals, over here!” 

Both of them turned to look, and she caught sight of Reyes starting to sneak toward the Nomad, taking cover behind snowdrifts. The closer fiend, the bigger of the two, huffed, and started to crawl toward her. The other appeared disinterested. She need to get it to come over to her. She drew out her pistol and fired a shot into its knee. It roared, the other answering with its own. Both of them began to charge. 

She tried to dash away, going as fast as she could manage. The pain in her stomach intensified immediately, the feeling of her skin tearing with each step. She was going to need more medigel; hopefully the Nomad would have some on board. Where was Reyes? How much more time did he need? She wasn’t sure how long she could keep up the pace, and the fiends were gaining on her at a faster rate than she anticipated. 

She heard the sound of an engine cutting on. She tossed a glance over her shoulder as she pushed forward, snow flying into the air as the Nomad sped to catch up with her. It trailed along behind the fiends. Her comm cut on, “Get ready to jump.”

“Jump where?” 

The Nomad sped up beside her, door opening. She shook her head. He had to be kidding. There was no way she could side jump into a moving vehicle. Luckily, her guess was wrong, and he zoomed ahead, cutting off her path. She took one more glance behind her. The fiends were closing in fast. Using the last bit of her strength, she moved across the snow, and boosted the jump jet straight into the hull. She fell onto her back, air screaming into her lungs as she tried to ignore the searing pain in her abdomen. “I’m in. Shut the door!” 

The Nomad started moving again, the door inching to a close. It wasn’t fast enough. The larger of the two fiends slammed into the side, an arm reaching in for her. She scooted until her back hit the wall. She could hear the tires spinning as the Nomad tried to go forward. She smashed her gun into the animal’s paw. It roared, taking back its arm. The doors sealed shut behind it. The vehicle rocked as the other fiend crashed into it. 

The Nomad lurched backwards before Reyes gunned the engine. She was too exhausted, in too much pain to see if they made it into the clear. She closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath. Her skin hurt where it defrosted, on top of the inner pain. 

“You alright back there?” Reyes’ voice came drifting from the front. 

She didn’t think she could move from her spot on the floor. “Let’s not do that again.” 

“Agreed.” She heard his laughing turn into coughing again, then some cursing. She didn’t have to see him to know that there was blood on the hand he used to cover his mouth. He was getting worse, and at a quicker rate.

* * *

SAM’s voice jolted her out of a sleep she didn’t realize she had fallen into. “Ryder, my scanners are picking up something following you.”

Oh no. “What is it?” 

“It appears to be a drone.” 

A drone? Why would one be tailing them? “Can you backtrace where it came from?”

“Just a few seconds… It appears to be coming from a facility located on the side of a cliff. Shall I send you the coordinates?”

She hesitated, wondering what this might be. It could have nothing to do with why they were there.  “What kind of drone is it?”

“My sensors might not be operating at full capacity. It says it’s a.. camera drone.” 

No. Anger and humiliation flooded her body. Those sick bastards had been watching them this entire time. It had to be them. Why would anyone else be interested in where they were headed? How long has it been on them? Since they landed? How much info did it gather? 

“Reyes, lower the back gate.” 

“Els?”

“Just do it.” She crawled to the back, still in too much pain to get to her feet. She unfolded her sniper rifle from its location on her back and steadied it on the ground. In the scope, she could make out a clear image of the drone. It hadn’t seemed to spot her yet, or if it had, it didn’t care. She took off her helmet so whoever was manning the camera could see her face. She narrowed her vision, sticking one eye at the end of the scope, lining up the shot until it was sure not to miss. She pulled the trigger, the kick back causing the butt of the gun to dig into her shoulder. It exploded in a glorious burst. For the first time since the mission started, she felt like they finally had the upper hand. 

* * *

 


	8. Queen of Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“You’re coming back, right?”_

“How do we know this isn’t another trap?” Reyes smoothed medigel across her stomach. The Nomad had one pack left, but even that little bit helped. Nothing on board could cure him, and he seemed resigned to his fate. None of her pleading would change his mind about going through with the mission. 

“We don’t, but it’s the only option we have left.” She tried to hide the discomfort of the stinging gel by keeping a hand clamped over her mouth. She kept her focus on his face, how it seemed more grey than his usual rich brown that reminded her of the sand on Eladaan. He looked like the sky of Voeld, and it frightened her. “Let me just make one stop. Please, Reyes.”

“I can manage, Bumblebee.” Reyes glanced over his shoulder back at the controls. “We only have enough fuel to get to one destination, and the base is out of the way. By the time we get there and get reinforcements, the auction will be over.”

Wincing as she struggled to sit up, she grabbed the sides of his face and stared into his eyes. “Why are you doing this to yourself? Reyes, what’s the point of keeping an identity secret if you’re going to be dead?” 

He frowned. “If they know I’m the Charlatan, it won’t just be me they come after. Anyone ever associated with me will be in danger.” 

She chuckled. “I’ve seen your clientele. They seem like they can take care of themselves.”

“Not them.” He stroked a hand down her arm, eyes shining as they gazed into hers. 

It dawned that he meant  _ her _ . He pushed himself for her, because he thought… what did he think exactly? That she couldn’t take care of herself? “I’m good on my own, thank you very much.” 

“I know that, but it’s not going to stop me from doing everything I can to make sure you stay safe.” 

She gritted her teeth. “Then why can’t you understand that I want to protect you, too?” She let go of his face. “Why did you invite me here if you were just going to make all the decisions?”

“Maybe I just like having you around.” He smiled weakly. 

“And maybe, I like having you alive.” She sighed. “Reyes, please. If you actually care about me somewhere in that thick skull of yours, you’d let me get you some help.”

He shook his head. “That’s not going to work. I need to make sure you’re safe first.”

She groaned, hitting the palm of her hand against her forehead. “You know what? Fine. Go ahead and die. I’m done arguing with you. You obviously don’t care about what I have to say.” 

He grabbed her chin, tilting her face up to his. His eyes searched hers. “Bumblebee. Let me do this. I’ll give you anything you want, but let me do this.” 

She gritted her teeth. “What I want is for you to be safe.” 

He leaned in, lips to hers in a chaste kiss. “After,  _ mi alma _ . Not before.” 

She huffed, knocking his hand away from her. “Fine. Just don’t expect me to cry at your funeral.”

* * *

Landmines littered the area around the cliffside facility. They needed to ditch the Nomad, their only cover. “They know we’re here.”

“How can you tell?” Reyes’ whiskey eyes coated with a milky white film. His hands trembled as they sat upon the steering wheel. She wasn’t sure if he’d be able to stand, let alone walk. He was in no condition to fight. 

She pointed to the visible camera by the cave entrance. He turned his head, but she realized he couldn’t see that far. His vision was failing. She wanted to scan him again, see if she could figure out how much longer he had, but she didn’t want to know the truth. Her version of it was that inside, their tormentors held the antidote, and he would get better. They had to, because why go through all the trouble to bring Reyes there just to have him die right away? 

She kissed the side of his head, letting her hand linger on his shoulder as she stood up. “You should stay here. I can take care of this myself.” 

“Ryder-”

“This isn’t up for debate. You’re in no condition to fight.” She headed toward the back. “Stay here and guard the Nomad. I should be back soon.” 

“Els.” His hand reached out for her, but she had backed too far away. She took a step forward and drew his hand into hers, her thumb running over the back of it. He looked into her face and gave her an uneasy smile. “You’re coming back, right?”

She could pretend to be him, leave with some cheesy, overconfident line before heading back into danger. As she looked into his glazed eyes, she wanted to say more than that. She wanted to tell him not to die, to hold on until she could get him help. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, because if this mission taught her anything, it was that truth. Instead, she returned his smile and let go. 

In the shade of the mountain, the cold seemed worse.The shoddy patch in her armor held up against the freezing temperatures. Still, it remained a weak spot in her defenses, something for these monsters to exploit in a fight. “SAM, can you get a message to the Resistance?”

“Yes, Ryder.”

“Tell them Shena has been poisoned. Give them the location of the Nomad and let them know he is first priority.”

“But Ryder-”

“No buts. Do it.” 

“Yes, Ryder.” 

She used her scanner to navigate the field, careful where each footfall landed. As she crossed the last step, clear of the mines, she looked into the camera lens. “Laugh it up, jerks. I’m coming for you.” 

The cave stood empty as she navigated through it, her footsteps echoing down the alleys as she plodded toward the middle, where SAM said the signal originated. If this was another trap, she could still radio Reyes, get him out of there. His safety was all that mattered at this point, damn the mission. She was only going forward with it so he would cooperate to get help for himself. 

Up ahead, there appeared to be a bigger room. She crouched down, slinking around the corner with her pistol drawn. She slipped around the corner and ducked behind a crate. 

It didn’t do any good. “Pathfinder! We wondered when you were going to show up.” A familiar female voice called down to her. “I gotta say, a few of us didn’t think you would make it this far. You two just can’t seem to keep yourselves together!” She cackled, a few others joining with her. 

Elspeth peeked around the corner, assessing the situation around her. She spotted thirteen people in armor with colors she recognized as belonging to the Outlaws. So this was personal for them, not just some money scheme. Their leader, the woman talking to her, resembled Sloane in such a way that she did a double take. The ghost of Sloane Kelly, back for blood.

The armor appeared the same, dented right in the spot where the bullet pierced the former Kadaran queen. The skin color though, it stood out as the only proof that this wasn’t Sloane. Unless it really was a ghost, pale skin and all. The voice, too, sounded different, her familiar accent replaced by something foreign to Sloane’s tongue, but familiar to Elspeth’s ears.

“Was there ever an auction?” Elspeth glanced down at her weapon and counted over the ammo remaining. If she didn’t miss any shots, she could take them out. Meanwhile, Reyes wasted away in the Nomad. She needed a plan, fast. “SAM, any update from the Resistance?”

No response. “If you’re trying to reach your robot friend, don’t bother. This place doesn’t send out signals, but oh boy, do we receive them!” She laughed again, Elspeth’s nerves grating at the sound of her voice. This woman was annoying, and that voice… she couldn’t place that voice. Why did she know it? The woman snapped her fingers. “You. Play my favorite clip again.”

Elspeth peeked around the side and spotted a man on a terminal bank only a few kilometers from Sloane’s doppelganger and her cronies, typing as Elspeth’s voice came over the speakers. “ _ What are you saying? You think I would come after you if something happened between us? In your home? While you’re sleeping? _ ” She winced at hearing the raw anger in her voice. 

“ _ I need to be prepared _ .” Reyes’ voice followed after. 

“I don’t need a reminder of this,” Elspeth snapped, stomach twisting at the harsh reminder of what occurred only a day before. . 

“Shh. My favorite part is coming up. You’re going to ruin it.” The woman recited the line as Elspeth’s voice came over the recording, “ _ If I was going to hurt you, don’t you think I would’ve done it by now? Let Sloane kill you in your powerplay for Kadara? _ ” 

The cronies all groaned in response. She heard the sound of a gun unholstering, and the grunts cut off. “Better,” the woman said. “Now, let’s meet the players of our little game! Behind crate number one, we have the surprise underdog, Elspeth Ryder, the human Pathfinder! Why don’t you come out and take a little bow? You have quite the little fanbase growing here.” There was the sound of clapping from some of the other members of the gang. 

She didn’t move. This woman had a screw loose. Something at the back of her mind was nagging at her. She knew this person. She didn’t know how, but she knew her….

The woman tsked. “Fine. Have it your way. Let’s bring out our star player, the mysterious Charlatan himself, Reyes Vidal!” There were “boos” and snide comments thrown in the direction of what sounded to be dragging feet. 

Elspeth stole around her corner again. Two members marched along the upper level, dragging Reyes between them. He looked disoriented, not putting up a fight. She wasn’t sure if it was an act or  progression of his declining health. The woman poked him with a finger in the middle of his chest. “You know, I was surprised to find out it was you, the great Charlatan. Sloane  _ trusted  _ you. She thought you were friends.” 

The woman shrugged. “And for all that, we expected more from you. For one, that poison wasn’t meant for you. It was meant for our Queen of Spades.” She flung a finger in Elspeth’s direction, sighing. “Oh well, I can still kill her in front of you. It just would’ve been a lot more fun the other way.” The woman gave two short claps. “Get the Pathfinder. We wouldn’t want the Jack of Clubs here to miss the show, now would we?” 

Footsteps sounded on the other side of the crate. She held up her gun, aiming for the noise that sounded closer. As a dark-haired woman turned the corner, she fired two shots into her head, dropping her instantly.  _ Idiot _ . That was two shots. She wasn’t going to be able to kill everyone with gunfire, not unless she got her hands on more ammo. She swung to the other side, one shot also into a head. “You’ll have to do better than that,” she called up. 

“How about this then?” She heard a gun cock above her head. “Come out, and I won’t blow your boyfriend’s brains in.”

“But Boss,” one of the guys holding Reyes protested, “I thought we were going to keep him alive a bit longer.”

“We were, but Jack’s no fun anymore. The Pathfinder’s a much better plaything.” 

Elspeth leaned out from behind her crate. Maybe if she could put a name to her, she could reason with her, try to talk her down. The woman held a gun shoved under Reyes’ chin. 

“Why not a trade? Reyes for me? Give him the antidote, and I’ll come out from behind my hiding place.” 

The ghost cackled. “You act like you’re in a position to make demands. I’m the dealer here. Me!” She fired off a shot near Elspeth’s head. “Now be a good little bitch, and come out. Save what’s left of your miserable boyfriend’s life before I end you both.” 

“Hey, I have enough ammo back here to take all of you out.” She hated bluffing. Gil insisted she was terrible at it, and her brother agreed. It was the only option, the only way to make sure they both survived.

“I’m losing my patience, Spades. Give yourself up, or I’ll find a way to kill Clubs here quicker than the poison inside of him.” The doppelganger hit Reyes across the face with the butt of her gun, a cry of pain coming from his lips. “If it’s any consolation, he won’t know who you are. Your death won’t even  _ faze  _ him.” 

“You act like you won’t have to take out every member of the Collective back in Kadara. There doesn’t look like enough of you to do that. What’s your plan, huh? The Charlatan is in charge, sure, but don’t you think there’s a hierarchy? Someone else will just step up to take his place.”

“But  _ this  _ one,” she said through gritted teeth, “killed Sloane.  _ You  _ killed Sloane. Both of you, canoodling behind her back, making her trust you while you were planning to kill her the whole time!” 

“She really meant alot to you, huh?” The way she talked about Sloane, how angry she was, reminded her of Kaetus, how he talked after Sloane’s death. He loved her, and this woman …. A lightbulb went off in Elspeth’s head. 

“You’re that dancer in Tartarus, aren’t you?” Elspeth snapped her fingers, trying to remember the name. “C-Ca-Cassandra, right? The one who talked about having a brother back in the Milky Way?” 

Without skipping a beat, the woman replied, “So you know my name. Big whoop. It doesn't change anything.”

“You know what it’s like to lose someone you love. It hurts, right, Cassandra? Well, if you really wanted to hurt Reyes, give him the antidote. Make him better, and  _ then  _ kill me.” It was a weak argument, she knew, but the only one she had. She needed to appeal to her crazy side, since nothing else seemed to be working. 

“Why don’t you step out into the open? We can talk like civilized adults.” 

It was Elspeth’s turn to laugh. “I’m not an idiot.” 

“How about a game then?” Cassandra grabbed Reyes’ shirt and bent him over the railing of the ledge, gun to the back of his temple. “You like bets?”

“Bets?”

A curious sound came from the upper walkway. Elspeth crouched and spied Cassandra removing a classic revolver from a holster, only recognizable because her father collected old guns. Cassandra smirked as her eyes caught Elspeth, a single bullet slipping from her hand into the chamber. She spun it around and slapped it closed. 

“I know you saw that, Spades. Here’s the deal. We’ll take turns. One for you, one for Clubs. One of you will live, the other one gets to try out our torture room. We put a lot of work into it just for you two.” 

This game gave her something she didn’t have before: hope. Cassandra might slip up somewhere, might give Elspeth the opening. It was a long shot, but a shot nonetheless. 

Elspeth looked into his face, the blankness of it, the lackluster on his once vibrant face. She couldn’t just leave him. Maybe he’d get lucky, and they’d torture him, feed him the antidote to keep him around. And then someone could find him. He could still make it. 

“How about we up the ante, make this more interesting?”

“Oh?” Cassandra grinned. “How so?”

“Put yourself in rotation. One for Reyes, one for me, and one for you.” Elspeth swallowed the lump in her throat. One chance to do this. Nothing was ever accomplished without some risk, her father used to say. 

Cassandra clapped her hands with glee. “Ooo, I like you, Queenie. You’re fun.” Cassandra put the gun under her chin, much to the horror of her team, and pulled the trigger. She cackled when nothing happened, jumping up and down. “Yes! Fuck  _ yes _ ! What a  _ fucking  _ rush!” 

She sighed, running a hand over her braided hair, grinning from ear to ear. “Now your turn, Jackie boy.” She aimed the gun toward Reyes.

“Wait!” Elspeth cried. “Let me go next.” 

Cassandra mused it over for a few seconds before nodding. “It doesn’t matter what order we go in. Either way, you two end up dead.”

Elspeth looked to the ground, biting her lip as she unfastened her helmet and dropped it on the ground, along with her gun. 

“All your weapons, Pathfinder. That includes the knife.” 

Elspeth growled but followed directions. She stared at Reyes as she stepped out into the open, hands in the air. 

 

 

 


	9. Ace of Spades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“I guess we’re just lucky.”_

The gun fired, the bullet whizzing by Elspeth’s face by a matter of millimeters.

The room slowed as several things began to happen.

Cassandra cursed and reached for her other, loaded gun; Elspeth bent down to grab her backup knife, also stored in her boot; Electricity zapped the two guards on Reyes as he struggled to his feet.

Cassandra kept trained to Elspeth as she aimed the weapon. Reyes reached her as she fired, knocking her off balance. The shot hit right above Elspeth’s head, and she snatched the knife, ready to throw it.  Cassandra disappeared on the other side of the railing, Reyes with her.

Angarans swooped into the room, shooting anyone who tried to resist. In a matter of seconds, the floor cleared, and Cassandra was being hauled up to her knees by two Resistance agents. One of them came up to Elspeth, putting a hand on her shoulder. She thought her name might be Maisi. “You okay?”

She looked to where she last saw Reyes. “I will be.” She gestured to the upper deck, calling up to one of the Resistance agents. “Is Reyes alright up there?”

One of the agents holding Cassandra called back, “There’s a man passed out up here on the ground. I’d look, but this one’s wily.”

As if called to action, Cassandra fought, trying to bite the hand of one of the angarans holding her. “You’ll have to kill me before I let you fucking take me, bastards.”

The angarans looked to each other and laughed.

Elspeth turned to Maisi. “He’s been poisoned. We need an antidote right away.” Maisi nodded and set off up the stairs. She followed close behind. Once she made sure nothing happened to him, she would comb through the base, see what information they collected and destroy it.

She paused to make sure Reyes still breathed. She stroked the side of his face before looking to Maisi. “I need to check out the computers, but then I’ll be back.”

He was in good hands, she assured herself. Good, capable hands that could do more than she could right then. She walked past Cassandra to get to the computers. Cassandra sneered as she passed. Without even thinking about it, Elspeth rammed the heel of her foot at her stomach, enjoying the quick inhale and the menace shooting out of her eyes. “That was for Reyes, you son of a bitch.” The two angaran shared a look before dragging Cassandra away. She didn’t go quietly, squirming and shouting out a string of curses.

Elspeth quickened her way over to the computer banks. An antennae stuck out of a curious piece of equipment. Her scan read it as jamming tech, but it didn’t say how to shut it down. She took out her gun and fired a shot into it.

“Ryder.” SAM’s voice immediately filled her head.

“SAM. Glad to have you back.”

“Have the Resistance fighters made it there?”

“They have. SAM, I need your help going through these computers. Can you upload everything onto our servers and corrupt their data?”

“Yes. Please stay in the nearby vicinity for ten minutes.”

Elspeth sank into the chair in front of the bank, exhaustion and pain setting in. This was a long two days. She couldn’t wait to get back to her ship, where the temperature was regulated and the people didn’t shoot at her.

But that left the question of her and Reyes still in the air. Technically, they were still broken up, but she wasn’t sure if her resolve could hold. Mostly, she just wanted to lay down and hold him until they fell asleep, or whatever uneasy sleeping Reyes did before. Let him keep his secrets, if it meant she got to keep him.

“Ryder, data collection compl-”

“Pathfinder, we’ve got a problem,” Maisi cut in. She was pinning Reyes’ wrists as he writhed on the ground, foam spilling out of his mouth. “He’s having a seizure. I’m not sure the medicine will help at this point.”

“No.” She scrambled over to where he laid, falling to her knees. “No no no no no. Have you tried giving it to him yet? He can still-”

“We tried, but we know this poison. It’s angaran made. Seizures are usually the last step, the next one being de-”

“Don’t say it!” She wiped at his mouth, fighting back her tears. She needed to be in control. He counted on her to solve this, so that’s what she was going to do. “Give him the medicine. All of it.”

“But it could cause him to-”

“I don’t care! Do it!” She watched Maisi take out a needle and shove it into his arm. Elspeth pulled it right back out. “We don’t have time for an arm injection!”

Elspeth slammed the needle down into his heart, pushing the button in until all of the serum was empty. His seizure stopped, but so did the rest of his movements. She leaned her ear down in front of his mouth, a small puff of air grazing her ear. She sighed with relief, leaning her head back against the railing. “He’s still alive.”

“We need to take him back to base.” Maisi’s gaze slid over her. “You should probably come, too.”

“I was planning on it.”

* * *

“If you were any later getting the antidote to him, Shena wouldn’t have made it.” Dr. Harihn explained to Elspeth over his datapad, reviewing Reyes’ charts. She sat in the bed next to his, doing her best to ignore the worry seeded in her gut. He hadn’t woken up in over a day, and she was trying to busy herself with whatever she could get her hands on, in between bouts of medigel treatment for her stomach. It was looking better, but it would leave a scar, maybe two. A small price to pay for their survival.

SAM sent her the data from the computers, the video and audio clips Cassandra Verner stored and used for proof of the Charlatan’s identity. She had to admit, it was pretty damning. They would need to be more careful with their relationship when he woke up, and what they said around other people. They also needed to find the bug in Keema’s office and squash it before any more leaks happened.

“Is he going to be functional enough to fly us back?”

“His full cognitive abilities should be restored. I’m not picking up any long term damage.”

“Good.” She gave her head a sharp nod. “When do you think he’ll wake up?”

The doctor shrugged. “That depends on him.” He glanced up from his reports. “What were the two of you doing out here, anyway?”

“That’s classified, Doctor. Official Pathfinder business.” She waved forward the angaran commander standing behind Dr. Harihn. “Looks like I have some other business to attend to. Catch you later.”

She jumped to her feet, letting out a soft groan as her stomach complained, a dull ache setting into the partially mended flesh. Once her feet steadied beneath her, she headed toward Anjik.

The commander greeted her with a clipped nod, holding an arm out to usher Elspeth onward. “Walk with me, Pathfinder.”

She hobbled along beside Anjik as her long strides around the base left Elspeth in the dust. After the second time of stopping to let Elspeth catch up, her steps grew shorter. “I’m struggling to understand how you knew we needed help, Pathfinder. We’ve been trying to reach outside to Evfra for days, but nothing’s been able to go out.”

Elspeth shrugged. “I just have great timing.”

“Indeed,” Anjik mused. “Do you have any preferences for how we should deal with the prisoner?”

Elspeth shook her head. “None. Just don’t release her. She’s capable of more than you realize.”

“We realize plenty enough. I’m sure Evfra will have questions for you both, but for the time being, I think my curiosity is sated.” Anjik turned back the way they came. “Oh, and Pathfinder?”

“Yes?”

“Next time, you might want to think about asking us for help. I’m still amazed that both of you managed to survive.”

Elspeth grinned. “I guess we’re just lucky.”

* * *

Reyes’ eyes fluttered open, his head a fog. His memories of the past three days floated around inside of his brain, nothing concrete that he could pick out. Where was he? He glanced around the room, searching for something familiar.

He found it in the face of the pink-haired woman sitting at his side. She held his hand in both of hers, playing absently with his fingers. It looked like they were in another ice cavern, this one with higher ceilings and angara. The Resistance base. He’d never seen it, but some of his contacts spoke of it. What were they doing there?

She smiled when she saw that he was awake. “Hey,” she said, leaning down to offer him a quick kiss on the lips. “You made it.”

“Was that ever in question?”

A dark shadow passed through her eyes as she nodded. “For a little while, yeah. But we made it.”

“And my identity?”

“Safe.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “We’re safe.”

He groaned as he struggled to sit up, but she kept him down on the bed. “Who was it? Who did this to us?”

“A dancer from the bar, if you believe it. Some Sloane groupie.” She chuckled. “The Resistance has her for questioning but what they do with her is anyone’s guess.”

 _Dancer_. He knew exactly who she was, but Cassandra was never just a dancer. What once was a bold move on his part ended up causing this shortsightedness later. He should’ve figured it out. He knew about her and Sloane for months. “She belongs to the Collective.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You need to focus on recovering, not revenge.” She laid her head down on his chest, eyes locked with his. “I want to go home, to Kadara. Whatever that entails.” Her fingers wove into his, thumb caressing the top of his hand.

“Does this mean…?” He had random memories of them fighting, of her crying. Her breaking things off with him.

“Like I could stay away from you.” She tugged at his hair before bringing herself back in for another kiss.

* * *

 

The Resistance dropped them by the shuttle. Weary and cold, they entered, but only after scanning for bombs first. No more surprises. She curled into his lap as he piloted them back to the warmth of Kadara, head resting against his shoulder. A comfortable silence stemmed between them, the hum of the engine sending her off into a near sleep trance.

After a few hours of teetering between sleep and awareness, the shuttle slowed down, starting their descent onto a platform below. “We’re here,” Reyes voice cut through the stillness, the first words spoken since Voeld.

She unfurled herself, stretching to look out the windshield for a familiar landmark. “What port is this? Some secret one in the back of the city?”

He winked. “You could say that.” He helped her stand up before rising beside her, fingers interlacing with hers before towing her out the door. He led her down off the ramp.

She marveled at the dock, a single concrete platform with an empty space below it. Was this...? Her eyes darted around them, trying to place the location. It looked like it could be Spirit’s Ledge, but she might wrong about that. What else could it be though?

On the underside of the dock, he brought out a set of keys in front of a door cut into the side of the hill. “This stays between us. No telling your people, got it?”

She nodded her head, excited. “Of course. But, why the change of mind?”

Instead of offering a reply, he grabbed the sides of her face, leaning down to kiss her. Behind him, the door opened and he yanked her inside, the door to his home slamming shut behind them.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy this story even half as much as I do! And thank you again to everyone who helped with this fic!

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback/critiques welcome!


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